Chief Negomo dethroned

by Staff reporter

17 Oct 2017 at 07:03hrs | Views

Controversial traditional leader Chief Negomo, real name Luscious Chitsinde, has lost his chieftainship after the Mashonaland Central provincial assembly of the Chiefs' Council resolved that the throne rightly belonged to the Gweshe family.

The meeting reportedly resolved to install David Gweshe as the substantive Chief Negomo.

Gweshe, a musician, has been battling to wrest the chieftainship from Chitsinde at the High Court, arguing that he was the legitimate Chief Negomo.

The Mashonaland Central provincial assembly of the chiefs' council is now expected to inform the National Chiefs' Council of the decision.

The National Chiefs' Council president, Fortune Charumbira, would then transmit the information to Local Government, Rural Development and National Housing minister Saviour Kasukuwere.

Kasukuwere will then inform President Robert Mugabe, who would effect Gweshe's appointment in terms of section 283 of the Constitution.

Mashonaland Central provincial administrator, Cosmas Chiringa, confirmed last Friday's meeting in Bindura but said he was not at liberty to give details because communication followed legally specified channels.

"I wrote to inform him that there was a meeting of the provincial assembly of the chief's council whose aim was to decide on who should be the substantive Chief Negomo. The meeting was held last Friday. They will present their recommendation to the national chiefs' council which will take the recommendation to the president as required by law," Chiringa said.

Efforts to get comment from Chief Negomo were fruitless as his mobile phone was answered by his aide who claimed he had gone into a meeting.

He promised to return the Daily News call later but did not while subsequent calls were not being answered.

Chief Negomo rose to notoriety in 2012 when he fined MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai two cattle and two sheep among other penalties for marrying Locadia Karimatsenga-Tembo in November, which he claimed was a taboo to marry during the month of November in the Shona tradition.

However, Tsvangirai had the fine outlawed by the High Court on appeal.

Chitsinde has had an eventful stint as Chief Negomo, punctuated by a series of scandals.

Only recently, he sent emissaries to collect a beast from a village widow as punishment for her son's death by suicide.

However, the woman's livestock was spared by irate mourners who beat and chased the emissaries away.

In 2013, he ordered commercial farmer Pip Mattison of Tavydale farm in Mazowe to pay $1,1 million in compensation to 55 A1 farmers whose crops were destroyed following disturbances brought about by a land dispute.

The verdict was passed as a default judgment after the farmer's lawyers advised Tavydale not to attend on grounds that the traditional leader had no jurisdiction over the matter.

In December 2015, Chief Negomo was sentenced to three months in prison by the High Court after he failed to repay a loan of $147 000 to CBZ Bank.